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RT-PCR · Pathology

What happens if the 'RNA Integrity Number' (RIN) of a sample is very low (e.g., < 2)?

  1. The RT-PCR reaction will work with high efficiency
  2. RNA is degraded, and RT-PCR results will be unreliable
  3. The sample is pure and completely free of proteins
  4. The reverse transcriptase enzyme will work at a faster rate
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Correct answer: RNA is degraded, and RT-PCR results will be unreliable

The RIN is a measure of RNA quality. A low RIN indicates significant degradation; since RT-PCR relies on an intact RNA template for successful cDNA synthesis, degraded samples often lead to failed amplification or misleadingly low quantification.

Difficulty: Medium Question 12 of 20

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